Near field registration of home system audio-video device

ABSTRACT

A near field communication (NFC) sticker which stores a key is attached to a new client device. A remote commander in a home network reads the key using a NFC interface and IR-transmits it to a home network server. Once the client is connected to the network, it encrypts its own device information with the key and sends the encrypted information to the server, which decrypts the data with the key sent from the remote commander. In this way, client device registration is executed easily and securely.

This is a continuation of and claims priority from U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/090,490, filed Apr. 20, 2011, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/842,408, filed Aug.21, 2007. Priority is claimed to both of these applications.

I. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to using near fieldcommunications (NFC) to register audio-video devices with home networks.

II. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Attaching new devices such as new digital video disk (DVD) players ordigital video recorders (DVRs) to a network such as a home entertainmentnetwork can be a trying experience even for engineers, let alone thecustomers for whom these products are intended. This is because networkregistration can entail entering long strings of alpha-numericcharacters for IP addresses, wired equivalent piracy (WEP) keys, etc.

As recognized herein, to save the user from the above drudgery, nearfield communication (NFC) may be used, in which the above exchanges canbe undertaken automatically between the device sought to be registeredand the network using NFC principles such as but not limitedradiofrequency identification (RFID) and/or Sony's “Felica” NFCtechnology. As also recognized herein, it would be desirable to effectNFC registration without requiring the system server (typically the TV)to be pre-fitted with NFC capability, since most are not. Furthermore,as understood herein NFC registration between a relatively large deviceand a relatively large server entails moving one the large objectssufficiently close to the other to permit NFC. With these recognitionsin mind, the invention herein is provided.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A near field communication (NFC) sticker which stores a key is attachedto a new client device. A remote commander in a home network reads thekey using a NFC interface and IR-transmits it to a home network server.Once the client is connected to the network, it encrypts its own deviceinformation with the key and sends the encrypted information to theserver, which decrypts the data with the key sent from the remotecommander. In this way, client device registration is executed easilyand securely.

Accordingly, a home network includes a hand-held portable remotecommander. The remote commander includes a near field communication(NFC) element and a non-NFC wireless transmitter. A client device issought to be registered with the network, with the client deviceincluding an NFC element storing an encryption key readable using NFCprinciples by the NFC element of the remote commander. A network serverthat does not have NFC capabilities and that has a wireless receiverreceives the key from the non-NFC wireless transmitter of the remotecommander.

The NFC element of the remote commander may be a NFC reader or a NFCreader/writer, and the server may be a digital TV. The non-NFC wirelesstransmitter may be an IR transmitter. In any case, the server canreceive encrypted registration information from the client device overthe network and decrypt the registration information using the key.

In another aspect, a key is obtained using NFC from a client devicesought to be registered on a network. The key is sent to a registrationserver using a wireless, non-NFC, non-telephony communication mode andused to register the client device with the server.

In still another aspect, a portable intermediate communication device isdisclosed that can be implemented by a wireless telephone or a TV remotecommander. The device includes a NFC element configured for receiving akey from a client device. The intermediate device also includes anon-NFC non-telephony wireless transmitter for transmitting the key to aserver, and a processor for controlling the wireless transmitter.

The details of the present invention, both as to its structure andoperation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and inwhich:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a non-limiting network in accordance withpresent principles;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are block diagrams of non-limiting client devices inaccordance with present principles; and

FIG. 4 is a timeline diagram showing the registration communicationprocess.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring initially to FIG. 1, a home network is shown, generallydesignated 10, which includes at least one client device 300 such as butnot limited to a DVD player or PVR or video camera, at least oneportable hand-held remote commander 100, and at least one network server200 such as but not limited to a server TV.

Beginning with the remote commander 100, a microprocessor 101 isprovided within the remote commander 100 as shown. As more fullydisclosed below, the microprocessor 101 reads certain information fromthe client device 300 by means of a NEC antenna 103 and associated NFCinterface 102. Then, as also described further below, the microprocessor101 sends the information to the server TV 200 using a non-NFC wirelesstransmitter such as an IR transmitter 104 (which can be implemented by alight emitting diode (LED)) in accordance with IR communicationprinciples known in the art.

The NFC interface 102/antenna 103, in non-limiting embodiments, may beimplemented by a Sony “Felica” chip (also known as a “SUICA” chip) thatcan be mounted inside or attached to the case of the remote commander100 or that can be physically separate from the case and connected tothe remote commander 100 via a cable such as a universal serial bus(USB) cable. Thus, an RFID writer/reader can be used to implement thepresent NFC components of the remote commander 100 and/or the NFCcomponents of the client device 300 discussed further below.

In undertaking the present logic illustrated in FIG. 4, themicroprocessor 101 of the remote commander 100 executes a softwareprogram that may be stored in a memory 105 of the remote commander 100.The memory 105, which may be, without limitation, solid state memory,may also store data such as information read from the client device 300.A keypad 106 is also provided on the remote commander 100 as shown thatmay be manipulated by a person to, e.g., input a command. The remotecommander 100 may also be provided with an output device such as but notlimited a liquid crystal display (LCD) 107 that may receive data fromthe microprocessor 101 to show a message, for example, “Key read”, “Keysent to server”, etc.

Turning now to the server 200, in one embodiment the server 200 isimplemented by a digital TV that can receive audio/video (AV) signalsfrom an antenna or cable network 401 that is tuned in a tuner/frontend207. The signals are decoded in an AV decoder 208, with the video partof the signals being sent to a TV display such as an LCD panel 209. Theaudio signals are amplified in an audio amplifier 210 and sent tospeakers 211 as shown.

In accordance with digital TV principles known in the art, a TVmicroprocessor 201 controls the tuner/frontend 207 and the AV decoder208. Furthermore, the TV microprocessor 201 receives data from an IRreceiver 204, with the data representing signals including commandsignals (e.g., channel up/down, volume control, etc.) received from theIR transmitter 104 of the remote commander 100. The same types ofcommand signals may also be input to the TV microprocessor 201 usingmanipulable keys 206 on the TV server 200.

In addition to providing output to the tuner frontend 207 and AV decoder208, as shown in FIG. 1 the TV microprocessor 201 may also communicatewith a network interface 212 such as but not limited to an Ethernetinterface. The network interface 212 is connected to a home network 400as shown. The TV microprocessor 201 may also access a server memory 205such as but not limited to disk-based or solid state memory to executethe present logic and to store data. In any case, the server 200 neednot have NFC capabilities.

In some implementations, the home network 400 may be implemented as anEthernet network or other wired network such as a powerline network. Inother implementations the home network 400 may be implemented as awireless network such as an IEEE 802.11-based network. In any case, thehome network 400 can be connected to the Internet 403 using a modem 402to permit the TV microprocessor 201 to access the Internet.

Having described a non-limiting illustrative remote commander 100 andserver 200, attention is now drawn to FIGS. 2 and 3 for an understandingof two non-limiting embodiments of the client device 300 shown inFIG. 1. In accordance with present principles, the client device 300includes a NFC element 350. In the embodiment shown, the element 350 maybe a sticker that can be physically adhered to the client device 300 onthe inner or outer surface of the housing of the client device 300. TheNEC element 350 may be, without limitation, a RFID reader or and RFIDwriter, and alternative to adhering it to the client device it may beconnected to the client device using a cable such as a USB cable.

As shown, the NFC element 350 includes a NFC antenna 351 and an NFCmodule 352 that stores data, such as but not limited to an encryptionkey that preferably is factory-written into the module 352.Additionally, the client device 300 includes a client microprocessor 310that can execute logic stored in a client memory 305, which may alsostore a copy of the key in the NFC module 352. Still further, the clientdevice 300 may include a network interface 304 that is configured tocommunicate with the home network 400 and, hence, with the server TV 200through the network 400. Additional non-limiting functional blocks maybe included in the client device 300. For example, if the client device300 is a security camera, it may include a CMOS/CCD imager, an A/Dconverter, a video encoder, etc.

FIG. 3 shows an alternate client device that in all essential respectsmay be identical in function and structure to the client device shown inFIG. 2, except that the client device 300 shown in FIG. 3 may include,instead of the sticker 350, a NFC antenna 303 and NFC interface 302,with the above-mention key being stored in the client device memory 305and sent to the remote commander 100 using the NFC interface 302 and theantenna 303.

In addition to the encryption key, the client device stores deviceinformation including, example, device name, type, serial number, MACaddress, etc. The device information may be encrypted with the key, sothat once the client device 300 is connected to the network 400, theclient device can send its encrypted device information to the server TV200 over the network 400. In non-limiting implementations, DES or AESencryption can be used. In less preferred embodiments, both the key andthe device information including, example, device name, type, serialnumber, MAC address, etc. can be sent using NFC to the remote commander100 and from the remote commander 100 to the server 200 using IR.

Thus, in the preferred embodiment, the TV microprocessor 201 receivesthe key that is IR-transmitted from the remote commander 100 and storesit in the TV memory 205. The TV microprocessor 201 also receives theencrypted data from the client device 300 over the network 400. Themicroprocessor 201 decrypts the encrypted data with the key andregisters the client device 300 as a new network device.

FIG. 4 illustrates the above-discussed communications between thesedevices. First, the remote commander 100 is touched to the new clientdevice 300 and the key is sent from the client device 300 to the remotecommander 100 via NFC, as indicated at step (1). Then, at step (2) thekey is IR-transmitted from the remote commander 100 to the server TV.Note that an adversary cannot monitor the IR message outside the room.The server TV 200 then broadcasts, e.g., a User Datagram Protocol (UDP)message over the network at step (3) to prompt the client device 300 torespond. At step (4) the client device 300 returns an appropriate UDPresponse and at step (5) sends the above-mentioned encrypted data to theserver TV using, e.g., Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). The serverreturns a TCP acknowledge message to the client device 300 to let theclient device know that the message was received, step (6).

Note that the UDP message exchange discussed above advantageously may beused because the server 200 and the client 300 do not know each other atthe beginning of the communications. After the UDP message exchange,they know with whom they should communicate.

It is preferred that the IR communication discussed above issufficiently fast and stable to send a 64-bit or longer encryption key.

The non-NFC communication method between the remote commander 100 andthe server TV 200 is not limited to IR communication. A wirelesscommunication, for example, so-called “ZigBee” communication, may beused. In the case of wireless non-NFC communication, it is advantageousthat the remote commander and the server TV share another common key toprevent an adversary from monitoring wireless communication. Forexample, the server TV might show a key number on the screen. The usercan enter the key number to the remote commander using the keypad 106.The original key of the client device can then be encrypted with thiscommon key and sent to the server TV.

Optionally, the remote commander 100 may have e-payment capability. Inthis case, the remote commander can read a prepaid NFC card presented bythe user. If a charge is successfully withdrawn, the remote commanderIR-transmits a purchase ID to the server TV. The server TV can thenaccess a pay-per-view program with the purchase ID and obtain a decodingpermission.

In some implementations the remote commander hardware may be built in awireless telephone, recognizing that some wireless phones already have aNFC interface and e-payment applications. A non-NFC wireless transmitter(e.g., the IR LED mentioned above) is supplied on the wireless phone inaddition to its wireless telephony transmitter, such that the modifiedcell phone can then be used as the above-described remote commander.

It may now be appreciated that the system and method described above iseasy to use. The user only needs to touch a new device with the remotecommander to effect registration of the device. The system and methodpresented herein can easily register large, heavy, non-portable devices,and is secure, because device information is encrypted and sent over thenetwork. It is most difficult to connect an illegal device to thenetwork. Also, the system and method herein is a low cost solutionbecause, e.g., the server TV needs no NFC interface. And, if a cellphone is used, only an IR LED and small software addition are required.

While the particular NEAR FIELD REGISTRATION OF HOME SYSTEM AUDIO-VIDEODEVICE is herein shown and described in detail, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter which is encompassed by the present invention islimited only by the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A home network, comprising: a hand-held portablehousing including: a near field communication (NFC) element; and atleast one non-NFC transmitter; the NFC element being configured to readdata from a NFC element of a client device sought to be registered withthe network, the client device including at least one NFC elementstoring at least one encryption key readable using NFC principles by theNFC element of the housing; and the non-NFC transmitter being configuredto send the data read from the NFC element of the client device to anetwork server having a receiver receiving the data from the non-NFCtransmitter of the housing.
 2. The network of claim 1, wherein the NFCelement of the housing is a NFC reader.
 3. The network of claim 1,wherein the NFC element of the housing is a NFC reader/writer.
 4. Thenetwork of claim 1, wherein the server is a digital TV.
 5. The networkof claim 1, wherein the non-NFC transmitter is an IR transmitter.
 6. Thenetwork of claim 1, wherein the server receives encrypted registrationinformation from the client device over the network and decrypts theregistration information using the key.